Carrington V.C.

Nearly a decade after 'A Matter of Life and Death' David Niven once more finds himself on trial - this time conducting his own defence - in this very respectable addition to the rollcall of theatrical adaptations directed by Anthony Asquith, although Niven himself neglects to mention in his memoirs.

In 'The Winslow Boy' the accused was charged with purloining a postal order, this time the bone of contention is £125 missing from a safe. Aside from the quality of the acting Asquith makes good use of acoustics by making the soundtrack totally devoid of music and the comic effect when Geoffrey Keen tells the court orderly to stop stamping in observance of an enormous sign reading 'Silence Court-Martial in Progress'.

Major David Niven V.C. is up on charges. Two are minor, but the third one can break him, and possibly sent him to prison: that he surreptitiously took 125 pounds from the company safe. His defense is that he was owed the money, which no one denies, and that he told his Commanding Officer that he was going to do it. He told his wife, Margaret Leighton so over the phone; he also told fellow officer Noelle Middleton he had told his C.O. However, the C.O., Allan Cuthbertson, denies it. This being David Niven at the peak of his career, the movie is clearly slanted in Niven's favor, although the evidence presented to the Court is not. That's a necessary part of the dramatic tension.

Anthony Asquith directs this to bring out the ritual nature of Army life. The performances vary between those ritualized interactions, and things said in private in a very engaging fashion.

Asquith had begun his directing career in the silent era with a bang, with two late silent stunners, SHOOTING STARS and UNDERGROUND. Then something happened to his career in the mid-1930s. When he returned to directing in 1938, he specialized in films derived from stage works by Shaw, Rattigan and Oscar Wilde. The performances he got for these first-rate properties were wonderful, but they certainly seemed more staged plays than movies.

Although this movie is an original screenplay, it very much seems an opened-out play. Certainly, it is a a fine adaptation, but it would have taken little work to convert its borders to a proscenium arch. Despite this, it is a fine story with excellent performances all around.

The major theme of this film is the role of the war hero in a peacetime army. Carrington is an undoubted hero but the rule-breaking qualities that made him a hero are not welcome in a peacetime army where bureaucratic procedures are the norm, represented in this film by Henniker, Carrington's commanding officer and an unbending stickler for the rules. So, Carrington is romantic but wrong and Henniker is dull but right. The film, filled with great ensemble acting performances, invites you to choose which you prefer. At the time the film was made, Germany had emerged from the ruins of war with Europe's most dynamic economy whereas Britain, the victor, was mired in post-war decline. Carrington was the dashing war hero but Henniker is in charge now. Henniker, who avoided action in the war, with his Germanic name and blond hair. There's a nice metaphor here. Britain won the war, but who won the peace?

Carrington, VC finds career army officer David Niven doing something reckless and a bit stupid besides. He borrows a bit of money from the Officer's Fund of his unit to pay some household bills. He's owed a lot of back pay allowances that the fine military machine of the British army hasn't seen fit to cough up. But he is a winner of the Victoria Cross, the VC of the title and the commander of the regiment Allan Cuthbertson is a most jealous man. He might be the head of the regiment, but the men look to Niven.

If you remember the Clint Eastwood film Heartbreak Ridge at one point Gunnery Sergeant Eastwood helps out one of his enlisted men make ends meet the way Niven is having problems with his wife and family. But officers don't have concerned gunnery sergeants.

In any event Niven is being court martialed for the offense, charges brought by Cuthbertson. How it goes I will not say, but Niven is given a royal kick in the keester by a jealous wife Margaret Leighton who suspects some hanky panky going on with a female officer and her husband.

The great critique by me and others is that David Niven more than any other actor had to carry a lot of mediocre films on the strength of being debonair and charming. Not so in Carrington, VC, this is a fine military courtroom drama that stands on its own merits. Niven does well in the lead and grateful for this being a film he didn't have to carry.

Allan Cuthbertson is one of those actors who just does well in everything he's cast in. He's quite the martinet and jealous of Niven's war service and decoration. He spent the war directing a shore battery that was called upon to shoot down Mr. Hitler's Luftwaffe planes, no chance for medals or glory there.

The second member of the supporting cast who is outstanding is Victor Maddern playing Niven's sergeant and biggest fan.

Carrington, VC has a bit of The Caine Mutiny and some of The Winslow Boy in its plot and presentation. But it's a good courtroom drama and all actors love doing them.

Asquith's courtroom drama is surprisingly gripping. Trapped within the rigid confines of a military structure, a social structure and his own personal integrity, Niven plays a man whose career and reputation (if not his stiff upper lip) are at stake in a court martial.

This film was made sixty years ago and things have changed a lot since then; unless one bears in mind how things were then, this film's plot make less sense. However if you take this into account, it is a pretty good film.

it has been commented by others that there are commonly certain protocols observed whenever a VC holder enters a room; there is no formal requirement that this is done but traditionally VC holders may be saluted by others regardless of rank. This may or may not be the case within a court-martial situation but that this was omitted in the film is understandable since it would have been distracting to the thrust of the plot, with the whole court up and down like jack-in-the-boxes all the time.

Taken on its merits this is a pretty good film, IMHO deserving of a better score than it currently has on here.